Telegraphic instrument.



PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

A. R. DIGKEY.

TELEGRAPHIG INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1802.

N0 MODEL,

Wilgzsszs Patented August 2, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE- ARTHUR It. DICKEY, OF MISSOURI VALLEY,IOXVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO THEODORE F. VON DORN, OF OMAHA,NEBRASKA.

TELEGRAPHIO INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,430, dated August2, 1904.

Application filed May 13,1902. Serial No. 107,071. (No model.)

To (ML wit/mt it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR R. DICKEY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Missouri Valley, in the county of Harrison and Stateof Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTelegraphic Instruments, of which the following is a specifi cation.

This invention relates to telegraphic instruments.

Telegraphers are annoyed by the constant operation of the sounder-s ofcircuits which are not being used inthe local office, and means hasheretofore been provided for cutting out 5 these sounders withoutbreaking the circuits; but this means has been, as a rule, attached toeach sounder.

It is my object, however, to provide for cutting out the sounders in anynumber of telegraphic circuits by a single instrument.

A further object is to provide an improved cut-out for electricalcircuits.

\Vith these and other objects in view myinvention consists of certainparts and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, andpointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure1 is a perspective 3 view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the contacts with the mounting taken away. Fig. at is aschematic view showing the wiring between the instrument andthesounders.

Referring more particularly to Fig. i of the drawings, wherein I haveshown a schematic view, 1 1 1 designate the sounders,whieh receive thepulsations from the main wires 2 2,

4 3 3, and 4 at, and to these sounder-s, preferably to the binding-poststhereof, are connected wires 5 5, 6 6, and 7 7, each pair of which isconnected to a cut-out upon the instrument 8.

This instrument 8 consists of a mounting com- 4 5 posed of a base 9, ahousing 10, supported near one end of the base 9, and a plurality ofcutouts carried by the housing. In the rear of the housing 10 is a plate11, which carries a number of binding-posts, two binding-posts for eachcut-out being provided. 5

Each cut-out consists of two contacts normally held in circuit-breakingposition. A yielding plate 12, secured upon the upper inner wall of thehousing 10, forms one of the contacts and is connected with abinding-post 13, and. the other contact, 14, is pivoted on the outsideof the housing to a conductorplate 15, which is bent to form ahorizontal portion 16, resting upon the plate 11, and through which thebinding-post 17 passes, a vertical portion 18, and a perforatedear-carrying portion 19, which rests upon the top of the housing 10. Thecontact 14 consists of an arm 20, which is pivoted at one end to the earportion 19 of the conductor-plate 15 and 5 at its other end carries alinger-piece 21 and a projection 22, depending from this arm 20 throughan opening in the housing and adapted to engage with the yieldingcontact. A spiral spring 23, disposed beneath the arm 20 7 andsurrounding a headed stem 24, which is passed through an opening in saidarm and is secured to the housing, holds the pivoted contact in a raisedposition. While these contacts are normally held in breaking position,means independent of them is provided for holding them in contactposition. A sliding detent 25 is secured in the front wall of thehousing and is held normally in the path of the projection 22- of thepivoted contact let by a spring 26. The end of the sliding detent isbeveled, as is the end depending projection 22, and when the pivotedcontact is depressed the beveled end of the projection 22 forces thedetent out of its path until said detent 5 reaches a recess 27, when thespring forces the said detent therein.

Vhen it is desired to break the circuit through the cut-out, the detentis withdrawn from the recess 27, and the spring 23 elevates 9 the arm20, and consequently the projection 22. To quickly withdraw the detentfrom engagement with the depending projection, a headed stem 28 isprovided, which extends through the front wall of the housing, and thisstem is engaged by a bifurcated end 29 of a bell-crank lever 30, whichis fulcrumedat 31 to the base 9. The other end of the bell-crank leveris provided with a finger piece 32. To cut out any one or more of thesounders, the pivoted contact 14 is depressed, and the dependingprojection 22 contacts with the yielding plate 12. The current insteadof passing through the coils of the sounders takes the shortest courseand passes through the cut-out. To throw a sounder in operation, the endof the bell-crank lever 30 which is provided with the finger-piece 32 isdepressed, whereby the sliding detent 25 is withdrawn from engagementwith the depending projection 22, and the spring 23 separates thecontacts, breaking the circuit through the cutout.

I desire it to be understood that various changes in form, proportion,and minor details may be made within the scope of the appended claimswithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. The. combination with a contact-plate; and a pivotedcontact comprising an arm pivoted at one end, a finger-piece at theother end of the arm, and a projection depending from the arm, having arecess, and adapted for contact with the plate; of a detent adapted toenter the recess of the depending projection; and means for operatingthe detent.

2. The combination with the housing, and the base, ofa contact-platemounted Within the housing, a contact operative from the exterior of thehousing, asliding detentmounted in a wall of the housing and providedwith a headed stem which extends through the wall of the housing, and abell-crank lever pivoted to the base, provided with a fingerhousingsupported near one end of the base,

of a plurality of contacts mounted within the housing, a plurality ofcontacts operative exteriorly of the housing and normally separated fromthe contacts within the housing,

independent means for holding each pair of contacts together, andindependent manuallyoperated means for each contact-holding means,mounted upon the base independently of the housing.

L. The combination with a base, and a housing supported near one end ofthe base; of a yielding contact-plate secured upon the upperinnerzwallof the housing; a pivoted contact consisting of an arm pivoted at oneend to the housing, and carrying at its other end a finger-piece, and aprojection'provided'with a recess, depending into the housing andcontacting with a yielding contact-plate; a spring disposed beneath thearm of the pivoted contact to normally separate the contacts; aspring-pressed sliding detent for holding the contacts together,provided with a headed stem which extends through the front wall of thehousing; and a bell-crank lever pivoted to the base and having one endbifurcated to engage with the headed stem of the sliding detent, and itsother end provided with a finger-piece.

The foregoing specification signed this 30th day of April, 1902.

ARTHUR R. DICKEY.

In presence of- R. S. HOLDEN, W. H. BAKER.

